Death toll in Iran mine explosion rises to 42

At least 42 people are known to have been killed by an explosion at a coal mine in Iran's Golestan on May 3, state media report.

An official in the Golestan provincial government, Reza Morovati, said seven more bodies had been recovered from the Zemestan-Yurt mine, near Azadshahr.

He added that efforts to remove rubble and search for other bodies were continuing.

The blast occurred when methane gas that had accumulated inside a tunnel was ignited, causing it to collapse.